A Zeeman-slower includes a coil generating a longitudinally decreasing magnetic field and a laser reducing the longitudinal velocity of the atoms. This effect is also referred to as laser cooling. In order to reduce the transversal velocity of the atoms, additional laser devices downstream the coil reduce the transversal velocity of the atoms in one or two transversal directions, providing a transversal collimation of the atomic beam. In the publication “Influence of the magnetic field gradient on the extraction of slow sodium atoms outside the solenoid in the Zeeman-slower”, by Yoshiteru Kondo al, Japanese Journal of applied physics, volume 36, part 1, No. 2, pages 905-909, a cooling device for cooling an atomic beam is described, in which a Zeeman-slower provides longitudinal deceleration. In a second stage arranged downstream the solenoid or coil, the atoms are decelerated in transversal directions.
In known laser cooling devices, at least two separated laser cooling equipments are used, one for longitudinal cooling and one for transversal cooling, which all have to be aligned to the atomic beam. An oven produces a hot atomic beam, which is longitudinally decelerated in a first coil. After the first longitudinal deceleration, transversal deceleration is performed. However, only the atoms a direction matching to the passage of the first coil can be further decelerated by the second coil. This restricts the flux of atoms provided by the Zeeman-slower leading to longer process intervals if used for deposition. It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a Zeeman-slower allowing a higher flux of atoms.